I have been contemplating this blog for some time now and the best advice I can give is get out of your comfort zone. I mean this for every aspect of your life abroad. Before coming abroad I decided to make a challenge to never limit myself while I’m in France, because I want to experience everything and I don’t want to ever miss out. A month and a half in I know it was the best decision I have made about study abroad.

For example, normally I make a few really good friends and I am social and nice to everyone else I meet, however here I have decided to make sure I talk to everyone and make as many connections and friends as possible. I force myself to break the ice first whether it is a quick hello where are you from; or something as simple as where is building B? Because I push myself to go out and meet people I have had a great time making friends from all over the world, from Brazil to Australia to Finland. Get out there and make friends!

Another example is in food, try everything! I’m the type of person that I’ll try any food once. It is so easy here to eat basic American food thanks to globalization and availability at Carrefour. Instead try new things, kebab is a staple in the European university students’ lives but don’t get ketchup or mayo try the samurai or andalouse sauces! While traveling try local foods and specialties. While in Amsterdam and Brussels we decided to try appelbollen, krokets, frites avec mayo, and waffles (gaufres). The best way to get the feel for what typical locals eat is to go to a small local grocery store and just look around. While in London M&S is a must, and Amsterdam go to ah (it looks like oh). You will learn a ton about the locals and find cheap delicious food. Laine and I wandered around an ah for almost an hour looking at all their food and the differences between Dutch food, French food, and American food (all three had a taco/enchilada section).

Lastly don’t stop yourself from trying something you might be afraid of, this is a once in a life time experience and you don’t want to miss out on anything. Don’t worry about looking stupid or strange because everyone else is in the same boat and as long as you’re having fun it doesn’t matter if you look silly.

<!–[if gte mso 9]&gt; Normal 0 false false false EN-AU X-NONE X-NONE &lt;![endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]&gt; &lt;![endif]–> Since my last post I have pretty much been doing a lot of the same things. However, during the break my parents and sister did come from the states. We went to Victoria Market, Melbourne Zoo and wine barrel tasting and a private tour in Southern Australia at Brand’s Laira in Coonawara region. We drove back  to Mebourne and went down Great Ocean road and got to see the 12 Apostles and pretty much see some other beautiful beaches and Land marks. We got to feed and pet Kangaroos and we went to a Koala sanctuary where we were able to see some Koalas up close and personal, including a baby joey and baby koala. Here are some pictures of everything shown below.

Hello again !

Here are some more random facts and tips:

The Côte d’Azur is a lovely break from the weather in Northern France. Overnight trains make the trip cost-effective, saving you two nights in hostels. Nice is nice, as the saying goes, and has one of the top 10 hostels in the world. Villa Saint Exupery is fantastic and even offers a cereal buffet for breakfast. Just make sure you factor in an extra 4 euros a day for a one day tram pass. So I don’t ramble on and on about that one place, check out their website. http://www.vsaint.com/

If you want to party every night without thought of getting back to your hostel, I recommend finding one closer to the center of town.

On the subject of clubs, there were two our entire group (at least 20 people from RBS) enjoyed tremendously.

Chez Wayne

15, rue de la Pr�fecture, Nice, FR 06300
04-93-13-46-99

Open till 2

Le Bulldog Pub / Pompeï

Adresse : 16, Rue de l’Abbaye Nice FR

Live band 2-4am

After finding out the hard way, I should note that you can’t buy alcohol after 10pm in Nice.

Even after a fun night, getting up for the Marché aux Fleurs on Cours Saleya is totally worth it. They have everything from spices to postcards to fresh seafood to, bien sûr, flowers.

When visiting the South, beaches are of great importance. Nice beaches are rocky so try a euro/15min train ride to the beach Roquebrune Cap-Martin. One of the hostel workers recommended it to us and the smaller, quiet beach with gorgeous views took our breath away. An added bonus is the lack of (other) tourists. J

If Monaco is on your list of places to go, pack some nice clothes. Even then it will be tough getting into the casinos (assuming you’re 21). Just walking around is worth it. Spend the day visiting the sights and then spend the night walking around near the castle – incredible views!

Marseille has a similar feel to San Francisco – hilly, great seafood, cooler weather. There’s a bus at the harbor that will take you to see the Basilisque Notre Dame de la Garde. Picture time! If you enjoy history and/or Alexander Dumas novels, visit the Château D’If  where Edmond Dantes (Count of Monte Cristo) was held/escaped from. Ferries are at the same harbor where the bus leaves from. Which is conveniently located near the tourist center. There’s a cute store in the harbor area called Moi et Toi, along with many other shops and restaurants.

Continuing the island prison expedition, the island of Sainte Marguerite off the coast of Cannes was where the Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned. It is now a national park with gorgeous flora and fauna. If you want to swim and avoid the crowded Cannes beaches, take the ferry to the island.

Saint Tropez is a good day trip although research ahead of time because the trip is a couple hours by bus or ferry. The bus is cheaper (one or two euros). It will still be wonderful beach weather but the high season for this summer tourist destination will be over. The beaches will be less crowded but most of the night life has all but disappeared.

If you make your way down to Southern Spain, visit Sevilla. The palace Real Alcazar is stunning (and the gardens are incredible, complete with peacocks). The cathedral is across the square. After some time in France where color in your wardrobe is avoided at all costs, the vibrant and less modest Spanish style will definitely be different, and perhaps even refreshing. Spanish clothes are known to be cheaper while still quality so it’s a good idea to pick up a few items while you’re there.

An hour and a half bus ride (10 euros) from Sevilla is the town of Ronda. It is where modern bull fighting style and rules originated. Both Orson Wells and Ernest Hemingway fell in love with the area. Hemingway wrote several novels about his experiences there and Wells had his ashes scattered in Ronda. The town’s history dates back to the Neolithic age and, because of its location, has been involved in everything since then. There are Arabic baths, Catholic churches, Muslim mosques, a bull ring, and a convent that served as the headquarters of the Spanish Inquisition to be explored. Among many other treasures.

For more domestic issues, your sheets (but not the blanket they give you) can be washed once a week if you take them to the “laverie” in an apartment building next to Ango. You say your room number, hand them your sheets, and they give you new ones. Quite nice since the laundry machines for your clothes etc are extremely small and cost 2 euros to wash and 2 to dry.

When you are feeling like curling up in bed with a TV show or movie, please note that Hulu and Netflix Instant View do not work outside of the US.

One very important fact: you will need to have two doctors appointments before OFII will let you stay in the country. Absolutely no one knew about this until we all received emails saying we owed 55 euros and the appointments were nonnegotiable. And if you failed to appear, you had to leave the country. Scary stuff. So people cancelled entire trips as well as missed classes to get X-rays (they make you remove ALL clothing on your upper torso) and regular doctor exams. My roommate called the OFII office (previously everything was through the school) and it turned out the school scared us so they wouldn’t have to change appointments and go through all the paperwork. If this happens to you and the appointments are not at a good time, call OFII to reschedule. They are nice and helpful.

On school: Every class has at least one group presentation. Expect many individual as well as group projects and presentations.

On nightlife: Poor but Emporium (a club in downtown Rouen) has 1 euro shots on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They’re not that strong but they’re delicious. Vodka pomme verte is the house specialty. Also, it’s a cool atmosphere- old stone building with several floors.

Random thought: In Paris the Grande Mosquée is a must see. I also recommend you get tea at the connected teahouse. Indulge and buy a pistachio-honey Arabic pastry to accompany your tea. You won’t regret it. If you’re feeling like pampering yourself (and throwing down some euros) the spa is supposed to be incredible, according to some Parisian friends. Dinner is another option with lots of curries and couscous available, among other things. The waiters are extremely friendly. A good place to buy gifts is the shop behind the restaurant/teahouse. They have everything at very reasonable prices: prayer rugs, scarves, teapots, incense, jewelry, hookahs, henna kits, etc etc.

The Mosquée is in the 5^th arrondissement, metro stop Place Monge Jussieu.

The address is: 2, bis place du puits de l’Ermite, 75005 Paris

Well, I’m off to brave the elements and do laundry.

Danes spend a lot of money on their clothes. I really don’t know where they get all this money from given how much they are taxed on their incomes, but somehow they seem to manage.

Women walk down the street like they have just stepped off a Glamour magazine photo shoot: artfully thrown together pieces mixed tied together with eclectic accessories, and a perfect “undone” hair bun to pull it all together. It’s all about nice, rather fancy clothes, put together in a way which you don’t look like you’re trying too hard.

Boots are huge here. They are sold everywhere, at every price point. Women here usually prefer ones with a little bit of a heel that come up to the knee. Furthermore, the weather here not only allows for, but usually demands boots. Frequent rain storms bring out the most diverse and creative rain boots I have ever seen.

Scarves are also all over the place in Copenhagen. This is also influenced by the colder weather here. You can find so many different types of scarves here in different colors, patterns, textures, fabrics. The women at CBS all have huge scarf wardrobes that they can use to mix and match with their outfits. I have already bought two since being here!

Overall, Danish fashion is very impressive. I appreciate their style-consciousness and willingness to take risks with their look. I hope it is rubbing off on me!

Having been in Copenhagen, Denmark for several months now, its been possible to really get into the swing of things, both in the education and socially. School is finally starting to buckle down, with some classes ending, some beginning and the rest really hurrying through the semester. Because the classes are oriented towards outside, at-home work and reading, it is really necessary to keep up with the work at the pace the teachers assign it, otherwise it would become completely overwhelming by the end of the semester. This however, is somewhat of a bonus for me, as I have always enjoyed studying in my own fashion rather than sitting in lecture halls listening to a dry professor.

Socially, it has continued to be really easy to make friends, both with the students native to Denmark and the international students that have come to study here. I think this is most likely due to the fact that CBS is such an international school, with almost a thousand students coming to study from abroad. Students are always willing to lend a helping hand if you are struggling, even if it is a Danish person trying to help me Danish homework they would have done in 3rd grade.

The travel opportunities have also turned out to be great solely because Denmark is so central to both the Scandinavian countries and mainland Europe. You can reliably get to anywhere in Germany, Sweden, Norway or even further countries simply by hopping aboard a ferry or train. And even further places are also easily gotten to, with short, inexpensive plane rides to anywhere else in Europe.

The weather has actually remained quite bearable here, especially when compared to some of the more Northern countries I recently visited. While it should get a bit colder in the next few months, overall it shouldn’t prove to be too much of a hassle.

Overall, I’m still enjoying the ride, Denmark is definitely a great place to study abroad.

Bonjour

 Where do I start? In the past month I have learned many things and I am getting more accustomed to dealing and immersing myself into the French culture.

First and foremost, again I cant stress the need to prepare to spend a lot of money if you plan on traveling. Tickets are expensive and when finding a place to stay-hostels are cheaper alternatives but they are still around 60-70 $ American dollars a night. Moving on…..

Ambiguity is something that you will not only experience each and everyday but you must be willing to let things flow. That is the French culture. They do not stress out about things, time is not of the essence and they are not structured according to a schedule. For example: classes will not always be in the same place, and mandatory events will pop up out of nowhere. I find myself walking around and when things get changed at the last second and nobody is freaking out…. I ask out loud…. “Does anybody find this weird?”. However as I have stated previously, students nor teachers seem find this type of occurrence as out of the ordinary unless you are wearing flip flops. On that note:  I ran into a problem with this apparent mandatory doctors appointment. It was never explained to us before we arrived at RBS or even when we arrived at RBS that we need to at one point in our semester abroad here, attend 2 mandatory appointments. Now, I’m particularly frustrated with this because, I had booked at trip to Italy with friends and we received an email 5 days before telling us that we must attend these appointments or we will not be allowed to stay in France. I begged and pleaded and the school would not budge on the matter, in fact their responses to students were rude and non sympathetic. Something along the lines of, “I have been doing this for 5 years there is no way around it, people are canceling their trips and losing money and that’s just what you are going to have to do and if you don’t mind I have work I need to get back too…”.

Another matter, the apparel of students is very much different than at Cal Poly. I am used to rolling into class with my sweatshirt/sweatpants/flip flops and breakfast in my hands…..  French school, RBS, its like a fashion show, people are in the best attire at all times, and where HEELS to class… and I am not saying that you have to dress like that (because I definitely don’t) but be prepared to be singled out and made of fun.. The girls as well as the guys are not the nicest people as a whole (and I say that in a very informative and unbiased way). You as an America already have a stereotype working against you, but I have found that some people will be nice to you if you make that extra effort and get the initial grudges. WATCH OUT FOR FRENCH MEN there ideas of women are much more sexual and less platonic than American men pretend to be (basically French men are more up front about what they want from you and if you deny then they leave).

Last but not least, stick through it. I had culture shock at the beginning and was contemplating leaving, along with several other people I have met on this exchange. But, we are all very close now and I am having a good time and traveling will give you something to look forward too!!!  Don’t worry studying abroad is what you make of it, again this is not America and you cant make it America, but you can make it fun if you embrace the aspects of French culture that you do like, and ignore the ones you don’t.

Until next time,

AU REVOIR J

Blog #2

Another month has passed, and it is time for my second blog update! I can’t believe I’ve already been here since July!! I’m just about halfway done so I am trying hard to enjoy every day!  

Australia has been sooo amazing, I’m really happy I’ve been able to spend my abroad experiences in such a great place. If it weren’t so far away from my friends and family, I could truly see myself living here.  

I just got back from my mid-semester break. Though it sounds quite cliche, I really did have the experience of a lifetime! But I didn’t want to be the the only girl traveling with my guy friends (simply because sharing a camper van might be awkward), and a lot of my girlfriends couldn’t afford to go anywhere, and my aussie friends weren’t especially keen on traveling around their own country again, and I certainly wasn’t going to spend a week sitting around Melbourne, so decided to tackle a trip solo! Honestly though, it was SUCH a good decision.

I did a bunch of research, and ended up signing up for an 8 day outback safari with group. (I figured it was safer and a better way to meet people). Beforehand though, I flew up to Darwin and spent a day exploring the city on my own. I walked for hours! It didn’t take long to discover that Darwin is the stereotypical ‘Australia’ city. Not large, on the beach, in the tropics. Most of the cars driving down the road looked like this: http://nightglow.gsfc.nasa.gov/eric_journal_files/outback_truck.jpg ., and the men walking down the sidewalks all looked like Crocodile Dundee’s long lost brothers…it was so cool!

From Darwin, the next morning, I left for my tour. Since I was alone, it was really easy to meet people, and I got to make friends with different people from all over the world. I was AMAZED how many girls there were traveling alone as well! (Though….no matter what hostel/tour group I met them in…I was always the youngest by a few years). In my tour group, I met a girl from Germany, a girl from Holland, and a girl from Redding, CA (she went to Oregon, we even knew one person in common! Small world eh?). I also hung out with two Italian guys, and a really nice Dutch couple. Also convenient, because I now have a place to stay should I travel to any of those countries in the future!

Together, we hiked through many of Australia’s stunning national parks. We swam in tropical waterfalls, took boat tours through croc infested waters (I saw a bunch! SO scary!), hiked through sensational canyons, trekked through the desert, and finally made it to sunrise at Ayers Rock! (One of my favorite parts of the trip- you wouldn’t believe how the rock changes color when the sun rises and sets! It’s gorgeous!). We either camped or stayed in hostels, but I enjoyed a night under the stars in Uluru! You would not BELIEVE how striking the stars are when seen from the outback. They even put the Tahoe sky to shame!

After my outback tour, I said goodbye to my friends, spent another night in Alice Springs, then flew to Cairns. I spent the three days there exploring the city and scuba diving on the great barrier reef!!! I saw thousands of fish, giant clams, and beautiful coral (my partner saw a shark, but I missed it by seconds!). After Cairns though, it was time to come back home to Melbourne. I was so bummed to leave the warm weather! The trip was sooo fun, though not what most people would consider ‘vacation-ey’, as I woke up between 4am-6am every morning, and spent most my time trekking across the outdoors. Definitely what I wanted though! Very nice to take a break from makeup and clean clothes haha

Traveling alone was been quite an adventure, to say the least. It was great to meet so many people, and it was very nice to have a lot of time for self reflection and thought. (And reading, for that matter!). I think it’s very nice knowing I can step out of my comfort zone, and do everything on my own! Still, the trip really made me appreciate how nice it is to be surrounded my friends and family. I’m lucky that I always have that luxury.

For now though, I have to wait another month and a half before I can travel again! Erica and I just booked travel plans in the end of November, after finals are over. We’ll be spending three days in Sydney, and two in Byron Bay. I’m hoping to go skydiving in Byron Bay, and I am soooo excited and scared! Skydiving is something I wouldn’t have EVER considered doing….but my whole abroad experience has really taught me to step outside my comfort zones and try new things….so I guess I’ll give it a go!

Here are a few pictures from my mid semester break:

1. Ayers Rock: http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01713.jpg and http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01720.jpg

2. Devil’s Marbles: http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01528.jpg

3. King’s Canyon: http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01678.jpg

4.  Crocodile!: http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01215.jpg

5. Twin Falls: http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01348.jpg and http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01355.jpg

6: Jim Jim Falls: http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01397.jpg

7: Katherine Gorge: http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01434.jpg

Blog #2

Another month has passed, and it is time for my second blog update! I can’t believe I’ve already been here since July!! I’m just about halfway done so I am trying hard to enjoy every day!  

Australia has been sooo amazing, I’m really happy I’ve been able to spend my abroad experiences in such a great place. If it weren’t so far away from my friends and family, I could truly see myself living here.  

I just got back from my mid-semester break. Though it sounds quite cliche, I really did have the experience of a lifetime! But I didn’t want to be the the only girl traveling with my guy friends (simply because sharing a camper van might be awkward), and a lot of my girlfriends couldn’t afford to go anywhere, and my aussie friends weren’t especially keen on traveling around their own country again, and I certainly wasn’t going to spend a week sitting around Melbourne, so decided to tackle a trip solo! Honestly though, it was SUCH a good decision.

I did a bunch of research, and ended up signing up for an 8 day outback safari with group. (I figured it was safer and a better way to meet people). Beforehand though, I flew up to Darwin and spent a day exploring the city on my own. I walked for hours! It didn’t take long to discover that Darwin is the stereotypical ‘Australia’ city. Not large, on the beach, in the tropics. Most of the cars driving down the road looked like this: http://nightglow.gsfc.nasa.gov/eric_journal_files/outback_truck.jpg ., and the men walking down the sidewalks all looked like Crocodile Dundee’s long lost brothers…it was so cool!

From Darwin, the next morning, I left for my tour. Since I was alone, it was really easy to meet people, and I got to make friends with different people from all over the world. I was AMAZED how many girls there were traveling alone as well! (Though….no matter what hostel/tour group I met them in…I was always the youngest by a few years). In my tour group, I met a girl from Germany, a girl from Holland, and a girl from Redding, CA (she went to Oregon, we even knew one person in common! Small world eh?). I also hung out with two Italian guys, and a really nice Dutch couple. Also convenient, because I now have a place to stay should I travel to any of those countries in the future!

Together, we hiked through many of Australia’s stunning national parks. We swam in tropical waterfalls, took boat tours through croc infested waters (I saw a bunch! SO scary!), hiked through sensational canyons, trekked through the desert, and finally made it to sunrise at Ayers Rock! (One of my favorite parts of the trip- you wouldn’t believe how the rock changes color when the sun rises and sets! It’s gorgeous!). We either camped or stayed in hostels, but I enjoyed a night under the stars in Uluru! You would not BELIEVE how striking the stars are when seen from the outback. They even put the Tahoe sky to shame!

After my outback tour, I said goodbye to my friends, spent another night in Alice Springs, then flew to Cairns. I spent the three days there exploring the city and scuba diving on the great barrier reef!!! I saw thousands of fish, giant clams, and beautiful coral (my partner saw a shark, but I missed it by seconds!). After Cairns though, it was time to come back home to Melbourne. I was so bummed to leave the warm weather! The trip was sooo fun, though not what most people would consider ‘vacation-ey’, as I woke up between 4am-6am every morning, and spent most my time trekking across the outdoors. Definitely what I wanted though! Very nice to take a break from makeup and clean clothes haha

Traveling alone was been quite an adventure, to say the least. It was great to meet so many people, and it was very nice to have a lot of time for self reflection and thought. (And reading, for that matter!). I think it’s very nice knowing I can step out of my comfort zone, and do everything on my own! Still, the trip really made me appreciate how nice it is to be surrounded my friends and family. I’m lucky that I always have that luxury.

For now though, I have to wait another month and a half before I can travel again! Erica and I just booked travel plans in the end of November, after finals are over. We’ll be spending three days in Sydney, and two in Byron Bay. I’m hoping to go skydiving in Byron Bay, and I am soooo excited and scared! Skydiving is something I wouldn’t have EVER considered doing….but my whole abroad experience has really taught me to step outside my comfort zones and try new things….so I guess I’ll give it a go!

Here are a few pictures from my mid semester break:

1. Ayers Rock: http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01713.jpg and http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01720.jpg

2. Devil’s Marbles: http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01528.jpg

3. King’s Canyon: http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01678.jpg

4.  Crocodile!: http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01215.jpg

5. Twin Falls: http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01348.jpg and http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01355.jpg

6: Jim Jim Falls: http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01397.jpg

7: Katherine Gorge: http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/kellipark/Outback%20and%20Reef/DSC01434.jpg

I was warned that the men in Europe are more aggressive but I did not anticipate that they would be quite this aggressive. Men seem to have no problem following, grabbing, staring, photographing, and propositioning anyone they please. Some of the situations I have been involved in have been much more severe than I was prepared for and problems seem to arise quite frequently. It is hard to know how to respond appropriately because of the culture barrier. I have found that it is best just to avoid eye contact and ignore it as much as possible. All I can say is expect strange things to happen and be prepared to be assertive if a situation turns the wrong way.

The students at Rouen Business School dress very formal and often wear suits to school. They only seem to wear dark, muted colors and expect others to do the same. The students will make comments on the way international students dress if they don’t find it up to their standards. It can be very intimidating to walk through a crowd of them smoking near the doorways. The students at the University of Rouen are much more casual and friendly. They informed us that the students at Rouen Business School have a reputation for being pompous. Fortunately, I have had the pleasure of talking to a few French students and have found them to be very kind but it is hard to find an opportunity to begin a conversation with them.

The school system can be very frustrating at times. The method of selecting, adding, and dropping classes seems very archaic. Class schedules are shown on an excel spreadsheet and the classrooms for each class tend to change every week. Some classes meet more frequently than others, start during different months, and have days off seemingly at random. The final scores in the classes are heavily dependent upon performance in the final exam. Also, almost every class has at least one presentation. Most of the classes provide all of the materials necessary so don’t worry about paying for books. It can be hard to take the classes seriously because they don’t involve much outside work and a lot of the information is outdated by Cal Poly standards or is already familiar. Beware because the grading scale is very difficult and the classes are under the guise of being easy.

Not speaking the language can be difficult because nothing is ever quick or convenient in this country. I have accidentally purchased so many products from the grocery store only to find out that it wasn’t what I thought it was at all. I have been open to trying French products (and have a few chocolate bars I will be very sad to say goodbye to) but I can’t believe how excited I feel when I see Corn Flakes and Heinz Ketchup. Here I find comfort in brands I didn’t even notice at home. At the same time, I feel very awkward being inside Starbucks or McDonalds. I feel as though I am somehow cheating myself out of a French experience.

The French move at a different pace and many things seem so outdated to me. Almost everything is closed for two hours during lunch time so don’t anticipate doing anything but eating during those hours. Most stores close on Sundays and Mondays also, so make sure to plan in advance. The buses are on their second strike today and the trains will strike next week. It can be frustrating but all that can be done is laugh and find alternate means or put off plans. Also, waiting in line for the doctor is an experience. There is no one at check in and when the doctor opens the door everyone shoves their way through to be the first one to get to him. I have a hard time understanding why these little things seem so bizarre to me but are so normal to the French.

I can’t believe that my time in Copenhagen is almost half over!  It seems like just yesterday I was arriving and meeting my Danish buddy!  The realization of how fast time has gone by was reinforced last week when I finished took finals for two of my classes!  I thought that the Cal Poly 10 week quarter system was fast, but the 6 week whirlwind the Danish students have to keep up with is crazy!  However, it does feel good to be able to put two classes behind me so that I can focus on my other two classes and, of course, travel!

Speaking of travel, most classes at CBS either end the 41st week or are cancelled the 42nd week for fall break.  As a result of this policy, I have taken advantage of this time and am currently visiting Spain and London!  I think that this week break is a great way to reenergize for the remainder of the quarter and explore more European cultures!  Check your schedule upon arrival at CBS to ensure your classes are cancelled and start planning a trip right away; it will save you stress closer to exam time and money!

As I mentioned, I completed two of my classes last week.  These finals were unlike anything I have ever experienced at Cal Poly.  First, exams are the only factor in determining your grade for the course. Talk about stress!  I had two different exam formats for my classes.  The first test was an open book, open note four hour written exam, while the other was an at home ten page paper.  For the first exam I was provided with a computer where I had to type my responses to the exam questions.  There were only seven questions, however the question where complex and required lengthy responses to answer completely.  I was able to being the second exam as early as I wanted, however, the questions that had to be addressed with in the paper were release 48 hours before the paper was due.  The most interesting aspect of both my exams was that I had to submit three copies of my response because not only the teacher grades my exam, but two independent university officials as well!

If you have any questions while planning your trip to Copenhagen don’t hesitate to send me an email! scope@calpoly.edu